Donna Clayton sends along this month’s recipe from Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond, for a pot roast she says tastes just like the ones her grandmother made for years — and like the ones her family has loved for generations.

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 2.5 hours

Ingredients

· 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil

· Watkins salt

· One 3-5 pound chuck roast

· 2 fresh onions

· 6 to 8 carrots

· Watkins black pepper

· 2 to 2 1/2 cups beef stock

· 3 or 4 fresh rosemary sprigs

· 2 or 3 fresh thyme sprigs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and while it heats up prepare the other ingredients.

Generously salt the chuck roast on both sides. Cut a couple of onions in half from root to tip, then cut off the tops and bottoms and peel off the papery skin. When the pot is hot, place the onions in the oil and brown on both sides, about a minute per side. Remove the onions to a plate.

Thoroughly wash the carrots, but don’t peel them. Cut them roughly into 2-inch slices, and put them into the pot. Slightly brown them for about a minute or so, then remove them from the pot and allow the pot to get really hot again. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan. Place the meat in the pot and sear it, about a minute per side. Remove to a plate.

With the burner on high, deglaze the pot by adding 1 cup of the beef stock, whisking constantly. The point of deglazing is to loosen all the burned, flavorful bits from the bottom of the pot. When most of the bits are loosened, place the meat back in the pot, followed by the carrots and onions. Pour enough beef stock into the pot to cover the meat halfway.

Next put in the fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs. The fresh herbs absolutely make this dish. Put them into the juice to ensure that the flavors are distributed throughout the pot.

Cover the pot and roast for 3 to 5 hours, depending on the size of your roast. For a 3-pound roast, allow for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. For a 5-pound roast, allow for a 4 to 5 hour cooking time. When the cooking time is over, check the roast for doneness. A fork should go in easily and the meat should be very tender. Remove the meat to a cutting board and slice against the grain. Serve with vegetables and potatoes of your choice.